Some (constructive?) Feedback Part 2

[Thelionheart]

Before reading this thread I suggest you read my previous thread found here.

So, I've started this new thread to continue to provide feedback. I feel that the old thread is quite long as is and me posting there would only make the read worse than it already is. This post will be updated when new videos are released.

First up is the soldier/demolitionist video that was released during the Kickstarter campaign.

First Video:Grim Dawn Pre-Alpha: Soldier + Demolition Melee Build

Likes:

1:Skill variation appears to be much better than most ARPGS where the best strategy is to just pump points into 2 or 3 spells.

2: Zombies spawn in interesting ways. Clawing out of their graves to eat your brains is awesome and I hope more enemy types have interesting ways to spawn.

3: Different areas of space to fight in. In the graves it is more close quarters and confined, while on the paths it is a little bit more open. This adds variation to gameplay.

Dislikes:

1:Sound effects are muddled. I know this happened in the Occultist video and was just due to the way it was compressed, so I'm guessing it happened a bit on this video as well. With that out of the way I'd like to say that the sounds need some work. Sword swings sound more like tazers than sword swings. I think making sword sounds the primary sound and then giving them a different undertone depending on their damage types such as Electric, fire etc, would be better than the entire sword sounding like a tazer. The cleaves, slashes, and swings need to have more "oomph" and bass. I want the hits to feel powerful as hell. Explosions don't sound powerful enough. They sound more like someone starting a gas grill than they do a proper explosion.

2: Animations are still floppy. The character swings his sword like a wet noodle when it comes to the regular left click attack. He needs to adjust his weight to different parts of his body before he swings to give the hits a more powerful feeling. Grenade throws look a bit strange with the sword still in the character's hand. Charge animation looks like it is straight out of a ragtime movie, complete with extremely fast leg movement.

3: Gravity is still to low. The floating eyeballs fly about 10 feet before stopping after the character charges. I'm thinking that this is probably something that requires a lot of tweaking and annoying fiddling to get right.

4: Particle effects are to dense in some areas and make it very hard to see anything.

In Conclusion: looks like it's shaping up well. I know that you guys don't have all the time in the world with only having 2 full time employees. I know that this is still pre-alpha and I know that it is very much a WIP. Now that the Kickstarter is done I hope to see your animator, sound designer/engineer and art team are thrown into the mix at full speed and get this thing to be as awesome as it can be.

[ASYLUM101]

Originally Posted by Thelionheart

1:Sound effects are muddled. I know this happened in the Occultist video and was just due to the way it was compressed, so I'm guessing it happened a bit on this video as well. With that out of the way I'd like to say that the sounds need some work. Sword swings sound more like tazers than sword swings. I think making sword sounds the primary sound and then giving them a different undertone depending on their damage types such as Electric, fire etc, would be better than the entire sword sounding like a tazer. The cleaves, slashes, and swings need to have more "oomph" and bass. I want the hits to feel powerful as hell. Explosions don't sound powerful enough. They sound more like someone starting a gas grill than they do a proper explosion.

2: Animations are still floppy. The character swings his sword like a wet noodle when it comes to the regular left click attack. He needs to adjust his weight to different parts of his body before he swings to give the hits a more powerful feeling. Grenade throws look a bit strange with the sword still in the character's hand. Charge animation looks like it is straight out of a ragtime movie, complete with extremely fast leg movement.

3: Gravity is still to low. The floating eyeballs fly about 10 feet before stopping after the character charges. I'm thinking that this is probably something that requires a lot of tweaking and annoying fiddling to get right.

4: Particle effects are to dense in some areas and make it very hard to see anything.

1)I dunno I didn't have much issue listening to it. I think the problem is just the video not the actual game.

2) The animations for the charge is supposed to have extremely fast leg movement - it is a fast charge. If it were a slow charge it would be somewhat useless. The rest of the animations I actually like MUCH better than say, Titan Quest or Path of Exiles. (can't say TL2 or Diablo since I have little experience with both)

4) I think it is kinda dense true, but I can't say if its too much because you'd have to be playing to say if it is or isn't.

[Thelionheart]

Originally Posted by ASYLUM101

1)I dunno I didn't have much issue listening to it. I think the problem is just the video not the actual game.

2) The animations for the charge is supposed to have extremely fast leg movement - it is a fast charge. If it were a slow charge it would be somewhat useless. The rest of the animations I actually like MUCH better than say, Titan Quest or Path of Exiles. (can't say TL2 or Diablo since I have little experience with both)

4) I think it is kinda dense true, but I can't say if its too much because you'd have to be playing to say if it is or isn't.

This isn't me judging the game just to clear that up. This is just me seeing and hearing something and expressing my opinions of what I observed. I realize that my observations and opinions coming from those observations are my own and that others will disagree with me on them. I think right now is the time to give brutally honest opinions and to say what we think exactly how we think it. Right now is the time to give feedback. It's early in development and so now is the best time to influence the game with feedback before they move on to bug fixes and gearing up release.

[Droppz]

First i should point out that i think they did a tremendous work with so few people thus far.

I think we will see a lot of improvements fast, once Crate get their team together. I agree to what you say, but at the same time i do not expect much for Pre-alpha even though i think it looks really awsoome.

The good thing are that the things you listed are easy tweaks (or so i assume) and not some major game breaking problems, it's mainly visuals.

I bet they hold of with alot of changes untill they got the people they need to work in those areas, it seems like a waste of time to doing it themself at a slow phase inteast of that expert dude who can make it in half time and make it perfect in one go.

"It's easier for an construction worker to build a house from the ground up, instead of trying to improve the crooked house, the restaurant chef tried to build on he's spare time"

It's a lot of assumptions from my part & i could be totally wrong about this, it's just my little theory. Anyways i think it's good with feedback even this early on, and you pointed out some details i had not thought about myself.